Director of Architecture

Director of Architecture – Technical & Operational Leadership

📍 Newport, KY (In-Person)

📈 Growth Opportunity: Senior leadership role with firm-wide impact

You are Emboss’s next unicorn.

You are smart, quick-witted, and perhaps slightly irreverent. Highly organized—you’re a beast in the details and surprisingly great at managing a small tribe of playful nerds. You’re driven—or maybe more accurately, guided—by a desire to make the world a better place, and architecture just happens to be your medium of choice.

You’re the kind of person who loves processes and systems—not because you were told to, but because creating order out of chaos is your favorite kind of magic. If a system doesn’t exist, you’ll create it—for your team, for the work, or just for your own satisfaction.

You are proactive, perhaps slightly impatient, and outgoing. You read the room, lead with empathy, and know how to influence when it matters most. You prefer to have many spinning plates—the juggle is real, and you absolutely love it.

You delegate thoughtfully—you won’t pass something off until you trust the person holding it. And that people instinct? It’s part of your superpower.

Your management style is instructional yet motivational. You hold a high bar and bring people with you.

Wow—if this is you, I can’t wait to meet you.

Emboss is a mission-driven architecture firm specializing in thoughtful, high-impact design across a diverse mix of project typologies—K-12 schools, hotels, apartments, bourbon distilleries, work environments, and community-driven projects for local non-profits. With 60 projects in motion, we’re committed to quality, purpose, and team sustainability.

We’re looking for a licensed architect who is both technically exceptional and operationally strategic—someone who can lead quality control, mentor and manage staff, and bring structure to the way we work.

This is a senior leadership position for someone ready to be the right hand to the CEO, owning internal operations, technical oversight, and people management—not project management.

You’ll set the bar for quality, help onboard clients, shape how the team runs day to day, and be involved from initial consultation to internal execution—without managing individual projects yourself.

What You’ll Do

📝 Quality Control & Documentation

• Lead quality control efforts across all projects, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and compliance
• Review and stamp drawings, ensuring they meet internal standards and code requirements
• Establish and enforce documentation protocols and drawing standards
• Oversee technical detailing and coordination, offering guidance to support internal teams

🧭 Client Onboarding & Early Project Strategy

• Attend initial consultations with prospective clients to support project understanding and team alignment
• Oversee the client onboarding process, ensuring internal setup, team communication, and expectations are clearly defined
• Translate client priorities into internal action and accountability

🤝 People Management & Leadership

• Manage people—not projects: support, mentor, and coach architects of all experience levels
• Monitor staff workloads and balance team assignments to maintain efficiency and avoid burnout
• Lead weekly internal check-ins to keep teams aligned, productive, and accountable
• Partner with the CEO to support hiring, onboarding, and culture-building

⚙️ Operational Systems & Process Leadership

• Be a key decision-maker and right hand to the CEO, helping drive operational success firm-wide
• Maintain firm standards for quality and delivery across 60 active projects
• Implement and refine internal workflows, templates, checklists, and review systems
• Leverage AI and automation tools to improve efficiency and reduce repetitive tasks

Who You Are

• A licensed architect with deep technical knowledge and an eye for detail
• A natural mentor who enjoys leading people and improving how they work
• Experienced in quality control, firm standards, and documentation best practices
• Comfortable working closely with the CEO and stepping into strategic leadership
• Not interested in managing individual projects—but highly motivated to lead and elevate the people who do
• Curious and tech-forward—you’re not afraid to experiment with new tools (including AI) to get better results

Required Experience

• 10 years of experience in architecture, with a focus on documentation and team leadership
• Licensed Architect with ability to stamp drawings
• Strong background in quality control, drawing standards, and internal coordination
• Experience with Revit and firm operations tools (Ajera preferred)
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams and create structure and accountability
• Familiarity with client-facing processes, especially early-stage project work

What We Offer

• Competitive salary based on experience
• In-person role at our Newport, KY office (we believe in collaboration)
• Health benefits, PTO, and professional development support
• A meaningful leadership role in a high-trust, high-impact firm
• A rare opportunity to help run and shape the next chapter of Emboss